About 50 officials from Mexico and the United States agreed to expedite the construction of the Otay 2 toll port, about three miles east of the current Otay port of entry.
During a meeting held at the site where the port of entry will be built, high-level officials promised to complete the work next year, instead of finishing in 2024, as originally planned.
The meeting was led by the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, the Governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, and the Lieutenant Governor of California, Eleni Kounalakis.
In a meeting near the prospective port of entry— where a California State Highway 111 already ends — the attendees voted to advance the work and conclude it next year.
Ambassador Salazar refrained from giving statements at the meeting, while Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila reported that "Mexico has already acquired 90 percent of the land needed for the port of entry," and that he hopes that "the remaining 10 percent cent is soon achieved through offers to families living in the area.”
“It is definitely one of the most important projects along the border and the most important on the border for Baja California,” said the governor.
Communications and transportation officials from the Mexican federal government reported that they are ready to build the road that leads to the new port of entry.
Representatives of the North American Development Bank (Nadbank), present at the meeting, confirmed that as the institution financing the project, they already have funds both available and in the process to promote construction.
The Otay 2 port of entry will be toll-free and will have state-of-the-art technology that will speed up the crossing of both private vehicles and commercial cargo trucks.
The rates referenced for now range from 5 to 20 dollars per private car and from 25 to 50 dollars per cargo truck.
The area of San Diego County where the port will be built is shaping up for several border economic development projects.
